Urban Design and Social Movements in the City

Transcription

1 Urban Design and Social Movements in the City University of Toronto Department of Geography and Programme in Planning, Instructor: Thomas Buerk Seminar Time/ Location: Thursdays, 10-12am, in 5017B Office: SSH 5062 Office Phone#: (416) Office Hours: Thursdays, 1-2pm, or by appointment 1 COURSE DESCRIPTION The basic aim of the seminar is to illuminate acts and structures of Urban Design in critical perspective on diverse manifestations of (urban) social movements in the city. Case studies from different geographical and historical backgrounds will provide the research material for a closer examination of local conditions, debates and underlying discourses on the threat of social movements to hegemonic normative paradigms in urban planning and urban design. So, first thing at the very beginning: to discuss what is Urban Design and what are the practices of UD, that is to question: who is doing it, where and when? The how? and why? will be the following step. The same questions of the who?, where? and how? has to be raised about Social Movements as well. But, what about the differences between political Social Movements in the city (working class, Anti-Capitalist, Civil Rights, Feminism, LGBT*, anti-racism, anti-nuclear movement, anti-imperialism etc.) and Urban Social Movements against gentrification and mega projects (e.g. Olympia, Stuttgart 21, urban renewal) and/or for cheaper and better housing conditions (like squatters movement, tenements initiatives), urban common goods and environmental sustainability (eg. peoples parks, green spaces, community gardens and biking lanes)? The ultimate objective is to give students some critical perspective on urban design approaches in relation to social and/or urban movements and vice versa of the various ways in which people can engage in urban design, to address social political questions urban social movements try to deal with. Key questions - - What is Urban Design and what are the practices of UD? (who is doing it, where and when? The how? and why? will be the following step) 1

2 - - The same questions of the who, where and how has to be raised about Social Movements? - Are the topics of the movements formative for contesting urban design practices only if they are aware and against it or is the relationship between counter-hegemonic discourses and political practices more deeply rooted? - Approaches of Participatory Design and to use the idea of the (local) community by selfcontrol and DIY. 2 COURSE ORGANIZATION The course meets once per week in seminar format. Students in the class are asked to make short presentations on the readings in the seminar, participate in class discussion, prepare a term-paper proposal (of approximately 4 pages), and write a full length term paper (of approximately pages) on a topic of their choosing. TEXT There is no specific text for this course. Readings are listed below, and will be placed in the geography/ planning head office for sign out. Most of the readings are also accessible online. 3 Course requirements and assessments In this course you will be expected to do the following: 1. Attend class regularly. 2. Read all assigned texts, be part of a research group and actively participate in class discussions. 3. Complete all assignments by the posted due dates. 3.1 Research Groups Each participant of the seminar has to be a n active member of a research group. Depending on the total number of participants and the nine case studies this will be nine individuals or groups dealing with the local historical contexts, political and social circumstances by researching into archives, articles, films, music and academic studies/texts. 3.2 Group presentation Once during the semester you (and/or your research group) will make a minute presentation to the class. You should select a case study of the course schedule. Be creative and design your presentation to trigger a lively debate and discussion questions. Do not lecture. Make your own position and standpoint epistemology clear to the others, but present more than one perspective on the topic (e.g. consider race/ethnicity, sex/gender, class, age, etc.) 2

3 You should make connections to the material used in class as well as conduct research in archives, the internet etc. on your topic, including research from at least two different journals. Each group must meet with me at least once before your presentation. It is your responsibility to schedule a meeting with me. By meeting with me, you have the opportunity to ask questions, clarify any issues, and receive guidance. Please come prepared to answer the following questions or brainstorm possibilities. (see: Office Hours) The presentation will be evaluated on (a) quality of preparation (e.g. level of organization and thoughtfulness), (b) the content of the presentation (e.g. have you interpreted and presented the issues correctly? Have you provided a reflexive standpoint, but as well more than one view? Have you given attention to how these issues operate for people from diverse groups? How well have you done outside research on the topic?) and (c) the extent to which you engage the class in a meaningful discussion of your topic. 3.3 Written Work Weekly reflections You will submit 6 reflections ( words) which will focus on the key themes, positions and weaknesses of the assigned readings. They are designed to help promote critical reading and to facilitate class discussion. They should be submitted to the course by 6 pm Wednesday the night before the seminar. Please read each others responses before coming to class. Do not write more than 500 words. Summary Every person/research group must hand in a summary of the presentation (4-5 pages, double-spaced, typed, in Times New Roman font, 12 point, with 1,5 margins) on the due date. It should include the main issue of your presentation, a discussion of how urban design and (urban) social movements in your research findings apply to your issue, and a list of outside references. Do not go over or under the page limit. You or your group must prepare a handout for the class of the key points and arguments to give to your classmates on the day of your presentation. In your handout, you should cite the sources of your information and of your references. Final paper of your research group (to April 15 by 12 noon. You will be required to write a research paper (20-25 pages) on the topic of your research as a part of the research group or related issues. I encourage you to select your topic in consultation with me, and you will be required to submit a short (approx. ½-page) description of your proposed research 3

4 paper (or equivalent). You must draw on some aspect of the course material to analyze your topic, but you need not choose a topic explicitly covered in the course. The paper must be thoroughly researched, which will require library research and, if relevant, research off campus. If a term paper does not suit your particular needs, please discuss with me the possibility of an alternative project. Keep in mind the following due dates: GRADING Class participation 20% Reading Reflections: (x6) 20% Seminar Presentation Summary 10% Term Paper (part of research group) 50% 4 LECTURE TOPICS AND READINGS Week 1: Introduction to the course: Questioning Urban Design: The Who/How/Why/What in UD - Who is doing Urban Design? Institutions, Persons, Discourses - How is UD done? Plans, Materials, Dispositives - Why and by what purposes? Interests, Functions, Groups Common Reading: - King, Ross (1996): Introduction: The Design of the City, The Progress of Modernity, and the Crisis of Postmodernity, In: Emancipating Space: Geography, Architecture, and Urban Design. New York: Guilford Press. Pp Week 2: Social Movements vs. Urban Movements vs. Urban Social Movements. (Part I) The City and the Grassroots - Castells, Manuel (1983): The City and the Grassroots. Berkeley/Los Angeles: University of California Press.- - Harvey, David (2012): Chapter 5. Reclaiming the City for Anti-Capitaist Struggle. In: Rebel Cities. From the Right to the City to the Urban Revolution. London/New York: Verso. pp Merryfield, Andy (2002): Manuel Castells. The City of Althusser and Social Movements. In: Metromarxism new York/London: Routledge.pp Merryfield, Andy (2002): David Harvey. The Geopolitics of Urbanization. In: Metromarxism. New York/London: Routledge.pp

5 Mayer, Margit (1999): Urban movements and urban theory in the late-20th-century city. In R. A Beauregard and S. Body-Gendrot (eds.), The urban moment. Thousand Oaks: Sage, pp. - Mayer, Margit (2006): Manuel Castells : The City and the Grassroots. In: International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, vol March 2006,pp Merryfield, Andy (2002): Metromarxism. A Marxist Tale of The City. New York/London:Routledge - Pickvance, Chris (1984): Review of The city and the grassroots. In: International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, vol. 8.4, pp Week 3: Social Movements vs. Urban Movements vs. Urban Social Movements (Part II) Grievances, and who is moving anyway? - Mobilizations: political contexts, places, members and identity creations / politics - Organize!?: Form and content of organized movements - Institutions: When the movement is over. - Köhler, Bettina/ Wissen, Marcus (2003): Glocalizing protest: urban conflicts and the global social movements. In: International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, vol. 27.4,pp Pruijt, Hans (2003): Is the Institutionalization of Urban Movements Inevitable? A Comparison of the Opportunities for Sustained Squatting in New York City and Amsterdam. In: International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, vol 27.1 March 2003, pp Pickvance, Chris (1985): The rise and fall of urban movements and the role of comparative - analysis. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 3, pp Pickvance, Chris (2003): From Urban Social Movements to Urban Movements: A Review and Introduction to a Symposium on Urban Movements. In: International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, vol 27.1 March 2003, pp Week 4 Case study I: Paris - From the French Revolution to the revolts in Paris 1835/ Baron Haussmann and the Paris Commune Benjamin, Walter (selections from the Arcades Project - Harvey, David (2003): Paris. The Capital of Modernity. New York: Routledge. pp. - King, Ross (1996): Chapter 3. Space and the Commodity: The Nineteenth Century and the Rise of Modernity. In: Emancipating Space: Geography, Architecture, and Urban Design. New York: Guilford Press. Pp

6 Ross, Kristin (1988): The Emergence of Social Space: Rimbaud and the Paris Commune. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.pp. Week 5 Case study II: Modernism in Moscow, Weimar and Berlin - From the Russian Revolution and revolutionary movements BAUHAUS Concepts and city planning in the Soviet Union and the Weimar Republic/Germany in the 1920s - Hatherley, Owen (2008): Militant Modernism. Hants: Zero Books. - King, Ross (1996): Chapter 4. The Space of Revolution: 1900 and the Maelstrom. In: Emancipating Space: Geography, Architecture, and Urban Design. New York: Guilford Press. Pp King, Ross (1996): Chapter 5. The 1920s as crucible: Translation, Vkhutemas and the Bauhaus. In: Emancipating Space: Geography, Architecture, and Urban Design. New York: Guilford Press. Pp Zu Moskau: Wilson, Elizabeth (1992): The Sphinx in the City: Urban Life, the Control of Disorder, and Women. Berkeley: University of California Press. Week 6: Case study III: Berlin Germany : Berlin (Reichshauptstadt Germania), West and East German Urban development since 1948, post reunification urban renewal Katsiaficas, George (2006): The Subversion of Politics: European Autonomous Social Movements and the Decolonization of Everyday Life. Oakland: AK Press. Squatting Europe Kollective (2013): Squatting in Europe, Radical Spaces, Urban Struggles. New York: Autonomedia, pp. Lanz, Stefan (2013): Be Berlin! Governing the city through Freedom. In: International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, vol 37.4, pp Zu Berlin: Wilson, Elizabeth (1992): The Sphinx in the City: Urban Life, the Control of Disorder, and Women. Berkeley: University of California Press. Week 7 Case study IV: New York From Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs, ARCH and advocacy design to participatory approaches 6

7 Berman, Marshall (1982): Chapter In: All That Is Solid Melts into Air: The Experience of Modernity. New York: Penguin Books. Pp. Week 8: Case study Brasil V: Post-colonial metropolises Brasilia, Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro Zu Sao Paolo: Wilson, Elizabeth (1992): The Sphinx in the City: Urban Life, the Control of Disorder, and Women. Berkeley: University of California Press. Week 9: Case study VI: Apartheid and after in Capetown/South Africa Week 10: Case study VII: Israel/Palestine Urban Conflicts between war and war and war Hasson, Shlomo (1997): Local Cultures and LOcal Protest. In: Pile, Steve/Keith, Michael [ed.] Geographies of Resistance. London/New York: Routledge. Pp Week 11: Case study VIII: Istanbul/Turkey Urban Megalomania vs. Resistanbul Week 12: (Final Session) Case Study IX: Toronto/Canada Kipfer, S. and Petrunia, J. (2009) "Recolonization" and Public Housing: A Toronto Case Study. Studies in Political Economy. 83, pp Fezer, Jesko (2010): Design for a Post-Neoliberal City In: e-flux journal #17 june-august. ( 7

8 flux.com/journal/design-for-a-post-neoliberal-city/) Appendix (keywords, concepts) urban design: Urban Design is the physical organization and the built form of cities. But, of course, following a Critical Theory perspective, there is no such thing as Urban Design in itself, but a broad range of historically and socio-spatially contingent discourses and practices of designing things and composing them to a specific urban form. This is - in another perspective - the same with social movements. There are multiple grievances and reasons, forms, contents, actors and their practices, which can be seen (and are categorized) as Social Movements throughout history and at various places, forming specific social and political conditions and linking them dialectically with spatial practices. Social Movements (in the city) vs. Urban Social Movements: So are there - and if yes, how are the - differences between Social Movements in the city and Urban Movements to conceptualize? 8